In every season, there are key numbers to keep in mind. For 2020, the key numbers for baseball bettors looking to capitalize on a historically short season (and technically, historically long postseason) need to be mindful of some of the biggest influencers of this year’s outcome.
While past performance is not indicative of future results, as they like to say, there’s another cliche that can serve sports bettors well when trying to make a profit off of the baseball diamond: Knowledge is power.
Here are the key numbers from 2019 that every bettor should be aware of going into the 2020 season.
943
Nine-hundred-forty-three stands for the number of runs scored by last year’s highest-scoring baseball team, the New York Yankees. Scoring is all the rage in modern times of MLB, with supposedly “juiced up” balls more than a silly term of phrase.
With the change to the physical make-up of the standard baseball, combined with the insane power and hitting of today’s batters, it’s no shock that a team full of sluggers, chiefly Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge, like the New York Yankees put up 943 runs.
This is an important stat to keep in mind, because if you’re looking for a team with some of the best odds to go deep in this year’s shallow, shortened season, the Yankees need to be at the top of your list.
Besides betting on their games (the Yanks are 2-1 after their opening series against the Nationals), you should be taking a look at their win totals, too.
Correlating their run-scoring with their potential for run generation against other squads is a prime recipe to profit. Often, if you can predict the number of runs a team scores, you can correlate it with the over-under, giving bettors a great opportunity to cash in.
Learn more about how rule changes affect betting on MLB in 2020.
1,554
No, we’re not talking about a year in history; we’re talking about the number of hits the Red Sox got last year. A league-leading 1,550-plus hits! Like their arch-rivals in the American League East, 1,554 is a number that should be noted because, like the Yankees, lots of hits equals lots of opportunities to score. It may be a year to be smart and find a trustworthy sports betting pick service.
The more hits, the higher your on-base percentage, and the higher your on-base percentage, the more likely you can convert those small ball dinks into runs scored. It’s not a shock that the Red Sox were in the top five for scoring in the entire league.
After dropping (surprisingly) two of their first three games this season to the lowly Baltimore Orioles, the Red Sox are still a must-bet team for the remainder of the season. Their slugger-laden lineup still deserves major credit despite losing star outfielder Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
102
The difference in the number of games in the season from last year to this year is 102! The massive reduction in games played this season means that players have to be ready for a sprint.
With a 16-game postseason confirmed, it’s more important than ever that players remain prepared for the shock and awe that such a potentially tumultuous season might entail.
